08/06/22

Peace Patrol at the Most Beautiful Festival in the World!


The Peace Patrol has been helping to organise the Festival since its first edition - the Woodstock Festival Poland in 1995. It is a community of extraordinary, professionally trained volunteers who love to do good!



Each of the participants of the Most Beautiful Festival in the World undoubtedly associates with the volunteers in red T-shirts, always smiling and ready to help. They were the first to arrive at the Czaplinek-Broczyno airfield and will be the last to leave. During these intensive days, they work long hours; despite their fatigue, they are still eager to act and infect us with good energy. They are the Peace Patrol - volunteers who help organise Pol'and'Rock Festival and the Grand Finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation.



Impossible things we do right away, miracles take a bit longer

During the Festival, the Peace Patrol is divided into groups: mobile and assigned to specific duties. The former operate throughout the festival field and perform a wide variety of tasks depending on the schedule set by the Command Centre. The latter, on the other hand, carry out one specific type of task for the entire duration of the Festival.



What does the Peace Patrol actually do? Among other things... it patrols! The Mobile Groups keep festival-goers safe – they help, answer questions, give high-fives and have fun together with festivalgoers! They can be found in the field as well as at the gates or at railway stations. Volunteers also sell gadgets in the SiemaShop, work at the Lost Property Office, teach first aid in the CPR for Schools tent, support artists in the dressing rooms area and backstage, keep order during concerts and help organise the activities of the Academy of the Finest of Arts.



What do the coloured shirts mean?

Reds, yellows, blacks... what's it all about? It's simple! In addition to the most numerous volunteers in their distinctive red shirts, there are also Patrollers in yellow shirts on the festival field. These are the leaders of the various groups, with distinctive skills and experience in patrol structures.



On the other hand, the black shirts are worn by the GOCC Foundation Communication Centre team – they are responsible for all forms of communication with festivalgoers. They moderate online broadcasts, manage the festival's social media channels, respond to festivalgoers' messages, and write content for the website (yes, including this article!)…. But they also record TikToks, organise press conferences, and handle accredited journalists. This team also includes the Pol'and'Rock Radio team and reliable photographers, capturing participants and the magical festival moments in photos, which are also used in this article.



In addition to the Peace Patrol volunteers during the Festival, there are other professional security guards taking care of the safety – the Blue Patrol (which respond in the event of breaches of event rules and in emergency situations), and the Medical Patrol (paramedics, nurses, midwives, doctors). The Medical Patrol operates at medical aid stations, field teams (whose members verify reports from the event site and are the first to provide assistance on the Festival site), and away teams (responsible for transporting patients on the event site or in emergency situations to external hospitals). Medical security is also supported by the administrative group and the Technician Magicians, who provide technical support to the Medical Patrol. The day-to-day work and coordination of all teams are handled by members of the Command Centre.



The Peace and Medical Patrol keeps all festivalgoers safe. This year more than 750 volunteers support the event. They work for many days at all times of the day and night. Greeting them with a smile is more than welcome!


Anna Libertowska